When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, a lot of rural areas in the country had no connection or experience with modern military equipment. Some areas had never even seen or known of helicopters or planes other than seeing commercial jets high in the sky above. As Special Operations units started conducting their trademark Night Raids throughout the war for High Value Targets, night vision devices were obviously a heavily utilized item.
Now, picture an extremely rural area of the world, high in the Hindu Kush Mountains or the Afghan countryside, completely cut off from society, suddenly being awoken in the night by a terrifyingly loud noise that shakes your hut and rattles items off the walls (helicopter landing). You walk out your door in the pitch black and all you and your family can see is your home surrounded by black silhouettes with glowing green eyes (similar to this picture) before being swept away and disappeared into the night or killed if you are armed and shooting at them.
The remaining family members who would tell these stories began to call the U.S. Special operations forces the Green Eyed Ghosts (or Devils depending on where you were), and in some areas became the modern day boogeyman story there. Obviously as the war progressed and technology caught up to the country, the lore disappeared, but for a long time the boogeymen were real in that country.
Not here to argue for or against the GWOT or operations conducted, Just an interesting war story this picture made me think of.
tsb70491 t1_iqtl8tb wrote
Reply to some of my photos by CranberryJazzlike
The Green Eyed Ghosts (interesting true story)
When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, a lot of rural areas in the country had no connection or experience with modern military equipment. Some areas had never even seen or known of helicopters or planes other than seeing commercial jets high in the sky above. As Special Operations units started conducting their trademark Night Raids throughout the war for High Value Targets, night vision devices were obviously a heavily utilized item.
Now, picture an extremely rural area of the world, high in the Hindu Kush Mountains or the Afghan countryside, completely cut off from society, suddenly being awoken in the night by a terrifyingly loud noise that shakes your hut and rattles items off the walls (helicopter landing). You walk out your door in the pitch black and all you and your family can see is your home surrounded by black silhouettes with glowing green eyes (similar to this picture) before being swept away and disappeared into the night or killed if you are armed and shooting at them.
The remaining family members who would tell these stories began to call the U.S. Special operations forces the Green Eyed Ghosts (or Devils depending on where you were), and in some areas became the modern day boogeyman story there. Obviously as the war progressed and technology caught up to the country, the lore disappeared, but for a long time the boogeymen were real in that country.
Not here to argue for or against the GWOT or operations conducted, Just an interesting war story this picture made me think of.